Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteIf you believe a VALORANT penalty was issued by mistake, appeal it through Riot Player Support. Riot says it manually reviews appeals and will correct a penalty if it determines the decision was wrong. The public information cited here does not establish that a previously owned GPU by itself causes a ban, or that replacing the GPU reverses one. First identify exactly what message you received, then ask Riot to review your individual case.
Identify what VALORANT is telling you
Before submitting an appeal, record the complete in-game message and any error code. Riot distinguishes penalties that affect an account from a hardware ban that blocks a physical device. Vanguard security restrictions are a separate category: Riot’s guidance discusses Windows security requirements such as TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, HVCI/VBS and IOMMU. A security restriction should not automatically be described as an account or hardware ban. See Riot’s Vanguard restrictions guidance and its Community Pact.
| What you may be seeing | What it applies to | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Account suspension | The account, according to Riot’s penalty definitions in the Community Pact. | Appeal through Player Support and provide the exact message and account details requested. |
| Hardware ban | The physical device, according to Riot’s Community Pact. | Ask Player Support to clarify the penalty’s scope and review the case; do not assume a GPU replacement will remove it. |
| Vanguard security restriction | A technical security requirement or restriction described separately in Riot’s Vanguard guidance. | Follow the message and Riot’s security instructions; if you are unsure whether it is a restriction or a penalty, ask Support to identify it. |
Submit an appeal to Riot Player Support
- Open Riot’s VALORANT support request form and follow its prompts for your issue.
- Give the account and issue details the form requests. Use your own account information; do not submit another person’s account as yours.
- Describe what you know firsthand: that the GPU was previously owned, when you acquired it if known, the exact message or error code, and when the problem appeared. Separate known facts from guesses about the former owner or the cause.
- Ask Support to review whether the action applies to your account or device, and whether the message is a Vanguard security restriction rather than a penalty.
- Keep the request factual and retain the response. Riot says properly imposed penalties will not be cancelled or adjusted, so an appeal is not a guarantee of reversal.
Riot’s Community Pact says: “If you believe a penalty was issued in error, you can appeal it by contacting Player Support. We’ll manually review the case, and if we got it wrong, we’ll make it right.”
What to expect after appealing
Riot’s Privacy Notice says an appealed decision is reviewed independently by a Player Support representative. Riot says it will tell the player what action was or was not taken and provide a written explanation within 45 days, unless it needs more time and communicates an extension. That is a stated response timeframe, not a promise that the ban will be lifted. Read the Riot Privacy Notice.
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What a used GPU does—and does not—establish
The public Riot materials cited here do not identify a GPU-specific ban trigger or establish how a former owner’s activity affects a later owner. They also do not show that replacing a GPU reverses a penalty. Explain the secondhand purchase to Support, but do not present it as proof of the cause; Riot must review the individual case. The public guidance does not promise that Support will disclose detection signals or identify a previous owner.
Do not create another account to evade enforcement or use tools that alter hardware identity. The cited Riot appeal guidance directs players who believe a penalty is mistaken to Player Support, not to evasion methods or hardware changes.
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